Fed up with painful periods!

[Ahhashaker]

This past period has been hell and I’m at the end of my tether with them. My periods have been getting heavier the past year to the point I’m flooding a night time pad in an hour. This will last for the first two days then subside a little to just a regular period for the rest of it. Its making me feel so sick and exhausted, I struggle to go to work on those days.

I got the coil put in 2 years ago, the cramps were worse with it but were manageable. Now they’ve got so bad I was up all night, last night in the most agonising pain and woke DP up with my crying! I was genuinely scared I would have to go to hospital because of the level of pain I was in.

I’ve tried to go to the doctors about it but was fobbed off with “the coil does make periods more painful” but not to this level surely? I get cramping all throughout my cycle as well not just on my period. I tried to make another doctors appt but the next one available isn’t until end of jan/beginning of feb. I genuinely don’t think I can go through another night like last night again, it was agony.

AIBU to be at the end of my tether and utterly fed up with being a woman.

Please ask for a referral to a gynaecologist. Dont know what age you are but there are treatments out there apart from the pill and the coil. There are ablations, injections to stop your ovaries or even hysterectomy. You do not have to put up with this. It is not relevant whether the pain and flooding are due to the coil, you just need an effective treatment

Top tip - a nip of brandy works wonders for period cramps, they go within a few minutes.

I didn’t learn this until I was in my 40s, wish I’d known decades earlier.

Don’t let them fob you off, tranexamic acid can be used to reduce bleeding, naproxen is simple but very effective for relief from terrible cramps, I frequently feel like I’m in labour but naproxen helps a lot. The doctor needs to be investigating the cause, you shouldn’t have to continue this way.

Agree with pp. ask for referral to gynae. I put up with this for years, turns out it was fibroids and endometriosis.

Tranexamic acid can help with the heavy bleeding and mefenamic acid can help with the cramps, your gp can prescribe these whilst you are waiting to see a gynaecologist. Go back to the drs and see a different gp if possible.

When I finally got to gynae the waiting room had posters up saying ‘you do not have to put up with painful, heavy periods’

As above- get a gynae referral and ask for an endometrial ablation. It will reduce your periods to almost nothing. If you are getting pain elsewhere in your abdomen/pelvis during menstruation, you may need checked for endometriosis too.

If you have a copper coil rather than a Mirena it's likely to simply be down to this. Have it removed by your practice nurse or family planning and reassess afterwards, you may find that is the simple solution.

I really feel for you, my period pains used to be horrendous and make me vomit. Going to work was almost impossible on the first day of my period. Please ask for a referral to a gynaecologist - no woman should have to live with a painful cycle - and refuse to be fobbed off. Book weekly appointments if you have to.

My period pains only stopped when I had a child and if I could go back to pre-children me, I would be like a dog with a bone with the doctor.

I also suffer with migraines which allowed the doctor more opportunity to fob me off due to the risk of hormonal contraceptives when you suffer with migraines.

Good luck!

Thank you for your support. I’m just feeling so low because of it.

I will definitely try push for a referral. When I went to the doctors last time for it they refused to check my coil.

I’m in my early twenties so hoping it’s nothing too serious that would need a hysterectomy.

Itschristmasimallowedwine I’m the same with the migraines so my only option was the coil as progesterone only contraception messed me up as well

Go back to the GP armed with facts if you can i.e. a symptom diary
e.g.
Episodes of cramping 27 days out of 30
Debilitating cramping affecting ability to do other things 14 days out of 30
Flooding a nighttime pad in 1 hour first two days of my period

Insist on a referral to a gynaecologist as these symptoms are not normal. Tell them that the pain was so severe you were contemplating A&E.

A couple of tips in the meantime
Buscopan can help with cramping as it is an antispasmodic
Start taking NSAID like ibuprofen just before you period is due. It damps down the build up of pain messengers (prostaglandins) and can reduce blood flow.

Ooo I hadn’t thought about Buscopan, will definitely get some on the way home tonight and try it! Thank you for the tip

I have a tracker on my phone were I can note symptoms. I brought this out at the doctors and they didn’t even look. I think I’m going to ask for a different gp who will actually take me seriously and refer me